Xavi Pascual got the diagnosis right

BarcelonaXavi Pascual got the diagnosis right: Barça cannot go for Europe with half-measures. The Catalan team lost on AS Monaco's court (93-86). The Monegasque team, which only registered eight players, a very unusual fact in professional basketball, recovered a nine-point deficit against a very discouraged Barça rival. The home team played with more intensity and took advantage of a home refereeing to end up shooting 17 more free throws.

Kevin Punter's performance, who scored 27 points with 6/7 in three-pointers, was not enough in the Salle Gaston Médecin. Turnovers were too big a burden. "We competed in the right way, but the difference in free throws made the difference," analyzed Pascual. Barça's coach was able to welcome back Juan Núñez, who had not played for over a year. The point guard, who underwent surgery on March 11, 2025, only played 5:16 minutes. Juani Marcos, on the other hand, did not play.

The first few minutes fueled the optimism of a Barça that started the game using Kevin Punter as point guard. The Catalan team even had a nine-point lead in an initial stretch of high offensive efficiency (11-20). The Monegasque team's reaction came during a second period in which they scored 28 points against a Barça defense that once again showed signs of instability. Despite dominating the rebound, Pascual's men squandered their lead in an unfortunate final minute (46-44).

For a long time, the only visitor with a credible performance was Kevin Punter. An improbable three-pointer by Darío Brizuela at the buzzer prevented Barça from reaching the last ten minutes with an 8-point deficit, but the sensations that the Catalan team left during the third quarter were not good (72-67).

Since Vassilis Spanoulis has not been coach, Monaco has lost consistency, but it continues to be a team full of very talented players. The Monegasque team reached the last three minutes with a 10-point lead (85-75). Despite Barça's attempts, the home team was able to keep the situation under control in a final stretch that was discouraging for the Catalan team.